Am going to my first pen show -- the NY/NJ one in Sept.

I have a few pens that I'm thinking of trading at the show, or selling.

I was wondering, in your experience:

1. How does one actually trade pens at these shows? Is there a meeting point for collectors? Or do you just take the initiative and politely approach people? Or use FPN to coordinate beforehand?

2. Are vintage pens more easily traded than modern ones (still on sale / in circulation)?

3. How open are dealers to trading instead of taking cash for pens?

Appreciate any pointers / stories you might have.

Thanks in advance!

I've never been to a pen show, and that might be my first as well. I would love to know some "pen show etiquette" haha.

For a good lesson in pen show etiquette, you should read -- and heed -- Susan Wirth's article titled Pen Show Rules: Keep an Open Mind. The question of selling pens at a show is also answered in this article.

i've attended only one pen show (i now live away from the US, and my US visits never seem to coincide with one--will miss DC by a few weeks, grrr)--back in chicago in 1990. i felt like a kid in a toy store! i didn't have much money (was a grad student then), but i did bring along a parker lapis duofold in the ladies' size, i think--very clean and very pretty, something i'd found elsewhere for $15. i went over to a display of montblancs (i'd never had one yet at that time), and was drooling over the rows and rows of 149s and 146s. then the man who owned the saw my lapis and said to me "wanna trade"? heck, i sure did! "choose," he said, sweeping his hand across the 146s. i chose one, and my day was made. to this day, that 146 remains one of my best writers.

penmanila: That's quite a story

I understand that pen shows recover most of their losses from sales of tables to sellers. And it seems that trading is something that can't really be planned for...

1. If you see something that interests you, and want to trade, you simply ask if the individual is interested in a possible trade. Don't worry about a negative response. As long as your request is polite, you'll normally be answered in kind. It's also possible to set up a trade in advance, but in reality you're not going to know what's available at the show until you get there.

2. People interested in new pens will trade for new pens. People interested in vintage pens will trade for vintage pens. People who are interested in new pens have the option of buying them new, which is not an option for vintage (unless a vintage pen dealer gets a good find). I suspect trading plays a more active role in vintage pens, but this is a wild guess.

3. Most dealers are collectors as well as pen dealers. Some may be primarily collectors, while others may make their living selling pens, with a secondary interest in collecting (and some dealers may not be actively collecting at all). Almost collector will be interested in trading for something that fits his/her collection. I've been starting to rotate my collection by getting a dealer table at a couple of shows. I collect Chiltons. Come by my table with an interesting Chilton I don't have, and you can bet I'll make you a good trade. OTOH, I have little interest in the Parker 51 (and also little knowledge of them), so if you come by my table with a handful of those, even valuable ones, I'd probably try to refer you to someone else.

Some tips:

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Do not enter a trade situation unless you know the value of what you are trading, and what you are trading for. Many pen shows have an appraiser present. Use the service if in doubt about the value of what you have. There are honest dealers, and there are dealers who will try to take you for anything you've got.

A trade may be pen for pen, or one side may offer a little cash to balance the scales. The scales don't have to balance exactly, though, if values are fairly close.

Always be polite. If a trade doesn't come together, fine. Thank the dealer for his time and walk away if you don't like the trade.

Some dealers do need to show a profit on each deal, particularly if they plan to resell the item. You'll likely get a better trade if the person is trying to put a pen into his collection than if he is planning to resell. Don't expect equivalent value if the dealer is planning to resell. The dealer will build in a profit margin. A dealer is likely to offer you wholesale value of your pens in trade, while valuing his own pens at retail. An honest dealer will tell you up front that this is what he's doing. This is standard practice. Don't be offended, but don't feel that you have to accept it either. If you don't like the terms, just walk away from the trade politely.

OTOH, a collector will try to use the same pricing for both sides of the trade. Some professional dealers also believe that this is the proper way to trade also. In that case, you'll be trading for equivalent value on both sides of the deal. This works out better for you, but you do need to know the value of what you have (but bear in mind that "value" may be very different between any two people).

Regardless of the monetary value involved, a successful trade is one in which both people walk away happy.